Do wheel skirts really work?

[red91sit]

Originally Posted by The Toecutter

If you make it aero, they may have an effect. You just have to find a way to keep attached flow, perhaps.

The Sidekick would probably have the same problem, but when I get the chance, I'm definately going to try. I just need a way to accurately measure FE, and need to wait for my parents to dump that POS into my hands. I have lots of ideas on how to cut the drag, but I'm thinking more radical **** akin to what basjoos has done.

I like your ideas :-) BasJoo's car is GREAT. I'd love to see more people doing things like this. I can't make any permentant modifications to my turd, because I REALLY need to sell it and get something smaller and more efficient

[Dynamically Aero]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Shall we assume from your name & post that aerodynamics are an interest?

That would be a safe assumption.



Thanks, trebuchet03 and rh77.

[GasSavers_BluEyes]

I definately feel I saw a gain with rear wheel skirts. The car accelerated faster in passing as well plus I saw less dirt accumulation behind the rear tires, so I'm sold. Ditto when adding front wheel aero by filling in the fender gap on my car as close to the tire as I could.
Follow the link in my garage entry to pics of the car and you can see how my prototype mods went on.

[slurp812]

I read somewhere on the net that in the old days of NASCAR just pulling the wipers off was good for 3mph in top speed on the track. Of course they were going much faster.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Screw expensive instrumentation, from SAE 1999-01-0806.

[red91sit]

haha, oh you sicko!

[jmandidly]

has anyone tried using gurney flaps instead of wheel covers, I have been thinking of trying them on my car

[fowljesse]

When I widened my front bumper cover by about 1" on each side, just in front of the wheel wells, and made rear skirts, I got about a 1mpg average increase. I never got any negative comments, but a surprising number of positive. I do live in Portland, though...







These added mabe ?lb. for both.

[ron22]

Skirts look nice any MPG numbers on them?

[fowljesse]

Thanks, ron22 They look better from further away. It's hard to tell, because I'm always screwing with the car, but I attribute an average of 1-2 mpg increase from the skirts. They probably only help at freeway speed.